Dragon.

The origin of magic and the most powerful living being.

A race said to have ended the age of magic with their extinction.

While in Peiren, dragons were considered a legendary race, things were a bit different in the Oken Empire. This was because the Oken Imperial family was believed to have dragon blood flowing through their veins.

It was said that this was why golden eyes occasionally appeared in the Oken Imperial family, where black hair and black eyes were distinctly inherited.

Prince Archaik normally had the black eyes inherited by the Oken Imperial family, but occasionally his eyes would turn golden. When they changed color like that, he would overwhelm everyone with a presence that seemed inhuman.

If it had been just charisma alone, the rumors about the golden eyes would have quickly died down.

But that wasn’t all. Even the Snake Knights, the imperial guard composed of magic wielders, followed Prince Archaik’s orders unconditionally.

And recently, this Prince Archaik had declared something.

In the west of the Oken Empire, in the northern part of the Kingdom of Peiren… not a half-magic wielder, but a true mage had appeared.

***

When Leah and Helix said they were going to the capital, Ruyan pondered.

“…Should I go too?”

“What about Prince Patrick? Didn’t you come with the subjugation force?”

“Would it be such a big deal if just one person left?”

It probably would be a big deal.

Leah tried to stop him.

“Brother, think about that some more. If you leave now, won’t all your effort to get noticed by the Prince go to waste?”

“Me getting noticed by the Prince? It’s the other way around.”

Leah nervously looked around at Ruyan’s words.

“…Little brother, you shouldn’t say things like that out loud, you know? People will find it distasteful if they hear.”

“There are plenty of people who find me distasteful even without hearing such things.”

“Ah well, I suppose so.”

Leah sighed in resignation. Ruyan shrugged and said.

“Prince Patrick wanted to come near the Hel Mountains in the first place. Now that I’ve brought him here, he can handle things himself.”

“Hmm. Well, our villa is right in front of the Hel Mountains.”

“I think I’ve done enough for a retainer who’s not even part of his faction. The problem is me…”

Ruyan stared intently at Leah.

“Leah, I hear you often practice magic with Helix in the Hel Mountains?”

“Yes. We did it almost every day, right? Though lately we’ve been too busy.”

“Did you definitely improve?”

“I did.”

Ruyan’s brow furrowed at Leah’s quick response.

“Which had more impact on improving your skills – training in the Hel Mountains or Helix’s help?”

“Definitely Helix’s help.”

“Then I’m going to the capital too.”

Leah looked at Ruyan with a face that said ‘what does that have to do with anything?’ He explained.

“I’ve been training in the Hel Mountains lately using the method Helix taught me. My condition improves noticeably day by day.”

“Huh? Helix did? When did he teach you something like that?”

“You didn’t know?”

Ruyan asked back to Leah, who had her eyes wide open.

“I thought you knew. Last time when I apologized after you collapsed and woke up, he asked me to give him some time and then taught me that. He even knew about my old major injury.”

“I never told him about that?”

Ruyan seemed quite surprised.

“Then he saw through my condition in one go? I heard he made you into a healthy mage… he’s really no ordinary person.”

***

Helix himself spoke matter-of-factly.

“It’s nothing special.”

“It’s not nothing. When did you start looking after my little brother too?”

“Isn’t he your brother?”

He added indifferently.

“He seemed to care deeply about you. Also, lately more of my guardian abilities have returned, so helping out to that extent was no problem.”

“Your abilities have returned more?”

Leah clapped her hands.

“That’s great. Will they keep naturally returning like this?”

“I’m not sure about that yet.”

It was certain that his power was returning, but he couldn’t figure out why.

‘It doesn’t seem to be time to solve the issue… there seems to be some other factor.’

While Helix was lost in thought, Leah tapped his arm.

“Don’t worry too much. The fact that they’re returning means you’re doing something right, doesn’t it?”

“What if we’re going in the wrong direction?”

“That’s something we can’t know. But since we’re getting results, let’s just keep going with it. There’s an old saying that goes ‘just keep at it even if you can’t eat.'”

“…Was there such a saying?”

As Helix tilted his head in confusion, Leah realized her mistake and changed the subject.

“Besides, it’s not just Helix alone, I’ll be with you too.”

“That’s reassuring.”

Despite his short answer, he couldn’t take his eyes off her. Her face, smiling with an expression that said ‘you trust me, right?’, was dazzling.

Leah noticed his gaze and cupped her own face.

“Helix, you’re going to bore holes in my face. Do you like me that much? Does your heart flutter because I’m so reliable?”

“…It might, if it weren’t for dancing together.”

“Wow, you really know how to hit where it hurts.”

She flopped down on the bench by the window with a sigh.

“I’m worried. When we show that I’m healthy in the capital, we’ll have to go to balls and dance…”

“What kind of place is the capital?”

At this sudden question, Leah blinked before answering.

“Um… a glamorous battlefield?”

“…”

Helix momentarily lost his words.

“…Is the social warfare that intense?”

“You have no idea.”

Leah shook her head vigorously.

“Even though I have thick skin despite my weak body… I collapsed several times from stomach cramps.”

“Stomach cramps?”

Helix’s face hardened.

“Was there really a need to participate in social activities to the point of getting stomach cramps with such a weak body?”

“Haha. But if I didn’t, I’d just be lying in bed all the time. That’s boring too.”

Leah kicked her feet.

“Now that I’m healthy, I should go back to the capital and dance at balls… I should, but…”

Helix looked down at Leah’s feet, which were fidgeting with worry about dance steps. Her white feet, small enough to fit in his palm, fluttered inside her slippers.

“What kind of steps are you going to dance with those feet.”

“Why are you dissing my feet?”

“Aren’t you just naturally uncoordinated, Leah?”

“Ouch ouch.”

Leah pretended to clutch her chest.

“Teacher, you may not be generous with praise, but isn’t this fact-bombing too harsh?”

“Isn’t it true though?”

As he replied, Helix imagined Leah dancing at a ball.

Properly dressed up, Leah would surely be dazzlingly beautiful.

And there would be partners who would greet her, take her hand, hold her waist to the music, and whisper in her ear every time they stepped on her feet.

“…”

As his face automatically crumpled, Leah studied his expression.

“What’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?”

“Leah.”

“Yes? What is it?”

Helix looked down at her looking up at him innocently, then rubbed his face.

‘Why should it matter if she has dance partners.’

He kept getting worked up over issues that shouldn’t concern him. He became strange when he was around Leah.

‘But I don’t want to be apart from her.’

Besides, if he left her side, wouldn’t other partners take his place next to Leah?

He remembered the village chief’s son who had looked at her as if she’d descended from heaven, and Prince Patrick who had shown her a smile full of interest.

‘The young lady is quite popular, so there are many flies buzzing around.’

When he recalled even the court physician’s complaints, he couldn’t stay still any longer.

“…Teach me ball etiquette.”

***

‘The mage is a blonde woman.’

‘Likely a noble who has recently been gravely ill or had a near-death experience.’

The Snake Knights had been searching the northern part of Peiren with just these small clues thrown out by Prince Archaik.

They were certainly capable. They had found a suspect in a foreign country with just those clues.

Upon receiving the report, the Prince delegated the imperial duties to his aide and pressed the Snake Knights’ commander to track the suspect in detail.

Then he came to Peiren himself, accompanied by his confidant Viscount Paipers.

“Are you certain you’ve found the right person?”

“How dare we submit such a report to Your Highness if we weren’t confident? Please don’t worry. However…”

The Viscount studied the Prince’s expression.

“Since the subject is a noble lady, I’m concerned it might tarnish Your Highness’s reputation.”

“Are you worried rumors might spread that I kidnapped a foreign noble lady?”

Prince Archaik smirked.

“Don’t worry. Only the Snake Knights and a few confidants know I’m here. They won’t dare speak carelessly.”

Indeed, the Snake Knights were men who would die if the Prince ordered them to. Prince Archaik had such power when his golden eyes shone.

The other confidants, including himself, weren’t foolish enough to defy the Prince knowing this. One wrong word and the Snake Knights would assassinate them with magic without leaving a trace.

“Besides, even if the kidnapping becomes known, what does it matter? By then, that mage will be obedient to me.”

Viscount Paipers nodded.

“Since she became a mage through Dragon’s mana, she won’t be able to resist Your Highness’s dragon bloodline and golden eyes.”

“Exactly. Even if someone comes looking for her, it’ll be over once the mage says with her own mouth that she came of her own will because she wanted to serve me.”

Poor noble lady, I feel sorry for her even though I haven’t seen her face. The Viscount caught himself as this thought crossed his mind. The subject wasn’t just a young lady but a mage.

A mage.

All those countless experiments, innumerable test subjects. Finally, one of them had become a mage.

“As expected, Your Highness had already planned to find the mage and make her submit immediately. How impressive.”

Viscount Paipers, head of the imperial magic scholars, was momentarily speechless with emotion. A mage – he thought he would die before seeing one. He felt he had made the right choice following Prince Archaik.

The Viscount bowed his head to the Prince.

“I offer my early congratulations, Your Highness. Once you find this mage, your appointment as Crown Prince will be right around the corner.”

“It’s too early for congratulations. First, we need to find that mage.”